The Princess and the Dragon Slayer
by Tinex
Summary: A Gajeel x Levy story of how the term Dragon Slayer came to be:3 Cover by Rboz! (Check her out )
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hey guys it Tinex and I'm back with my 2nd fanfic XD! It's been in the works for awhile and I hope you like it as much as I do!**

**As always, Enjoy! ^_^**

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><p>Once upon a time there was kingdom called Fiore.<br>Fiore was very beautiful kingdom but it was cursed. You see a dragon by the name of Zincronis would ravage the land for fun. He would destroy villages and even eat the villagers!  
>And try as hard as they could, the citizens and the knights of the Fiore could not defeat the mighty dragon.<br>The kingdoms' King and Queen were desperate to stop the Jade Dragon Zincronis; so much so, that they searched for another dragon to defeat it.  
>Their travels led them to the Mountain of Shadows, a place known for its abundance of Iron ore, and its fearsome Iron Dragon, Metalicana.<p>

Now the Iron dragon was said to be cruel and heartless, even more so then the Jade dragon, and he was also a Dragon who did not like to be disturbed. He'd kill anything foolish enough to bother him, but the King and Queen had decided to take their chances to save their beloved kingdom.

"Oh mighty Iron dragon, please save my kingdom from the wrath of the Jade Dragon Zincronis!" The king pleaded as he bowed to the mighty creature

"Why should I bother to save your worthless kingdom?" The Iron dragon roared "it is none of my concern."  
>"Please!" The king and queen pleaded, "We will grant you anything you desire if you help us!"<p>

The Dragon was quiet for some time until he spoke,  
>"Very well, I will defeat Zincronis. And in return, I will require ten human children."<br>"What will happen to the children?" The king dared to ask  
>The Dragon opened its large mouth to display its razor sharp teeth, in what seemed to be a smile, "I will eat them."<p>

Horrified, the queen spoke out "Absolutely not!"

The dragon chuckled at the courageous blue headed Queen  
>"Gihi, how dare such a small thing talk to me in such a manor! If I was not so amused by you, I would eat you right here and now!" The Iron Dragon bellowed<p>

Terrified of the dragon and its implications, the king tried to silence the queen but to no avail.

"I will not sit here and listen to this blasphemy! I will not surrender ten children for you to eat!"  
>The queen shouted angrily as she shot a menacing glare at the beast<br>This made the dragon grin "Your resolve impresses me little one… I shall change my offer from ten to one."

The king and queen sat quietly as they thought the deal over. Sacrificing a child was a sin only the lowest of the low would commit, but if they didn't thousands would die.  
>"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, do they not?" The Iron Dragon questioned<p>

The king and the queen slumped their shoulders in defeat  
>"Very well, may god forgive us..."<p>

Soon after, the Iron Dragon flew down to Fiore and battled with the Jade Dragon Zincronis. The battle between the two dragons was intense. It destroyed countless villages and leveled entire mountains! But Zincronis was no match for Metalicana; after days of non-stop fighting, the Iron Dragon defeated the Jade Dragon!  
>But instead of slaying him (which is forbidden for dragons to do unless competing in the Dragon king festival) Metalicana sealed Zincronis away a case of iron which could only be opened by a key the he had made for the royal family, or by the Iron Dragon himself.<p>

And before the Dragon flew back to the Mountains of Shadows, never to be seen again by people of Fiore, he received a single child for his work as promised.

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><p>20 years later:<p>

"Your highness? Your highness, are you listening!" The princess's trusted advisor shouted

"I'm very sorry Jose! And please, call me Levy" the Princess asked kindly

The princess who was named Levy, had short curly hair that was a beautiful sky blue color. She had large golden brown eyes and a petite body figure that made her look very fragile and graceful.  
>She was short in stature but made up for it with her large skill set; she could read and write in various languages, could memorize almost everything she read, and was one of the few people in the world who could use magic.<p>

"I would never be so improper as to call you by your first name your highness. Now please listen carefully you will be of age tomorrow and it will also be your first meeting as the princess of Fiore! It will be quite different from anything... blah blah blah" Jose rambled

"I'm very sorry Jose, I just can't concentrate!" The princess whined, as she threw her arms up in the air and leaned into the back of her chair, "I keep remembering my dream from last night! It was filled with battling dragons and a dark haired man as strong as a dragon themselves! The dragons... and that man... they were amazing! It was so unreal but yet so... real!" Levy beamed as she twirled around the room.

Jose scowled "You've been reading too many Fairy tail novels again your highness. You must focus now!"

"Your no fun Jose," Levy pouted "This world is amazing. Just look at all the magical things around us!" She said as she pulled out her magical pen and drew a dragon in the air "Who's to say Dragons don't exist?" She asked, as her drawn dragon flew around the room and vanished into thin air

Jose's face relaxed as he took in the princess's words  
>"I suppose your right your highness"<p>

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><p>"Damn it all! Where the hell did my old man go?!" A dark haired man with many piercings on his face and blood red eyes yelled, as he punched a large boulder and shattered it to pieces<p>

"Ahh so you finally admit you're looking for him Gajeel?" A black cat wearing green cargo pants and carrying a red sword with a scar around his left eye questioned in a teasing manor  
>Can-it Lily! We're just travelin around" The dark haired man growled<br>"Sure" The cat teased as he flew up in the sky to avoid the tree limbs he knew his partner would try and throw at him  
>"Tch. Damn cat" Gajeel grumbled as he lowered the tree limbs he was about to throw. It was like Lily could predict his every move! Then again they had been partners for quite some time now.<br>"Where to next Lily?"  
>"We should see if there are any clues in Fiore's Royal city" Lily suggested<br>"Good idea, my old man did mention that place a couple times. It could be interestin," Gajeel said as thought the idea over "WE AIN'T LOOKIN FOR HIM YA DAMN CAT!" Gajeel yelled as he realized what the cat had meant.

Lily just smiled and shrugged "Sure"

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><p>The princess steeled her nerves as best she could. Today was her 18th birthday which meant she could now participate in the meetings to decide what's best for the country as the Princess of Fiore! She just wished her mother was here to cheer her on, but she had died when Levy was young.<p>

"Your highness it is time" Jose whispered as he led her down to the basement of the palace.  
>Levy had never been to the basement of the kingdom. Only the king and queen, highest and most trusted generals and advisors, and the occasional royalty from other countries could meet in the basement.<p>

Jose led Levy to a door guarded by two soldiers. The soldiers made sure Jose had no weapons then moved from the doors and opened them. Jose led Levy down a spiral of stairs, to the biggest set of doors she'd ever seen; they had to be at least hundred feet tall and fifty feet wide or bigger!

The doors opened to reveal a large sized round table, but compared to the enormous size of the room, the table looked rather small.  
>Yet, it was not these things that caught young princess's attention; it was the large object behind the table which held her curiosity. It was so ridiculously big, that it made the doors to the meeting hall look <em>small<em>! It was covered with an enormous white sheet, but the sheet could not completely cover the large object. Under the sheet was a shiny metallic object

"Ahh Levy! There you are." Her father, the king called, "Come. We have much to discuss."

She and Jose did as they were told and took their seats.

"First of all happy birthday darling! I hope you will enjoy the coming of age ball tonight!" The king beamed as he hugged his daughter  
>Levy smiled and thanked her father, she had completely forgotten about the ball and, though she did not usually care for that sort of thing, it sounded like great fun this time.<p>

"And perhaps a worthy man will catch your eye at the ball tonight..." the king whispered with a gleam in his eyes  
>"Father!" Levy gasped as she tried to hide her blush of embarrassment.<br>"Hahaha! I am just being hopeful darling! And now for introductions, across from you is our country's Knight Commander, Erza Scarlet." The king said as he pointed to a red haired woman with Hearts Kreuz armor on, the best kind of armor in all the land.

"Greetings your majesty, and Princess" Erza said as she bowed her head

"And the man to the left of her is our Knights' Grand Master, Gildarts Clive" her father finished as he pointed to a large man wearing normal travelers' clothes and a cape

"It is an honor your majesty, Princess" Gildarts replied as he bowed

"Now that the formalities are over with, it's time to get to business. Gildarts remove the cover!"

That Levy saw shocked her to the core,  
>"No way..." Levy whispered as her eyes widened in shock and curiosity "... a Dragon." <p>

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><p>After days of non-stop traveling, Gajeel and Lily had finally made it to the royal city.<p>

"The city's very beautiful eh Gajeel?" Lily asked as the jumped on his partners' shoulder  
>"You think they got anything good to eat in that town?" Gajeel asked as he gazed at the beautiful city<br>Lily grinned  
>"Let's go and find out" <p>

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><p><strong>Author's note: I can't wait to post the next chapter! It's gunna be way more action packed so get ready:3<strong>

**Please Follow and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I couldn't help but post another chapter so soon:p**  
><strong>In this chapter Levy and Gajeel finally meet and its a bit scandalous...X)<strong>

**As always, Enjoy!**

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><p>The king told the princess the story of the Dragon battles twenty years ago. He told her how the dragon Zincronis ravaged the land and how the Iron Dragon came to their aid and sealed Zincronis in a plate of Iron which could only be unlocked with the key around his neck.<p>

The story left Levy speechless. It was just like the dream she had the other night. Except one part was missing…

"What about the man as strong as the Dragons?" Levy mumbled confused  
>The King gave his daughter a confused look as he answered her<br>"There was no such man Levy. The only thing that can defeat a dragon is another dragon. Normal magic has no effect."

"Excuse me everyone! I have an announcement to make!" Jose exclaimed as he interrupted the conversation  
>"That was quite rude Jose." Erza said as she glared at Jose. "Apologize at once!"<br>"Please do calm down Erza! I have done nothing wrong as of yet have I?" Jose asked as he stood up and walked away from his seat.

Levy instantly noticed that there was something wrong with Jose… his body was twitching in an odd manor, which made his actions look painful and unnatural. It looked like he was trying to keep himself from moving but his body wouldn't listen to him...

Levy looked at Jose with extreme concern in her eyes as she spoke  
>"Jose are you okay?"<br>He didn't answer. Instead he lowered his head and held up his hand towards her…

She felt Instant _PAIN_. Jose had casted a spell which had wrapped ghoulish black and purple skulls around Levy. She tried to free herself from the skulls but when she moved they would only squeeze tighter. The pressure made her cry out in pain.

"Jose! What is the meaning of this treachery!?" King yelled angrily as he jumped out of his seat "let my daughter go!"

Gildarts and Erza jumped to attack but were quickly halted by Jose's threats  
>"I wouldn't attack if I was you," Jose whispered as he smiled darkly, "It might just make me angry enough to kill her" he finished as he sent volts of electricity into Levy body.<p>

Levy felt the volts of electricity and screamed; the lightning seemed to course right through her to her bones. After the volts stopped she looked up to see Jose.  
>What she saw made her gasp in horror. Jose's human face was breaking into pieces of what seemed to be glass, and underneath it was the face of a demon.<br>Levy's eyes opened wide in shock  
>"He's been possessed"<p>

"What do you want demon?" the king spat

The demon smiled as he spoke,  
>"This kingdom's demise. Give me the key and I'll spare your daughter's life."<p>

Everyone in the room visibly tensed. The demon wanted the key to unlock the calamity known as Zincronis; and if that happened the kingdom would be destroyed and many people would be in danger…  
>But if the King didn't give him the key, his precious daughter would die… The king already had to witness his beloved wife's death, and he'd be damned if he had to see his child's death too.<br>"May God forgive me…" The King whispered as he threw the key to the demon

The Demon Jose threw Levy to the ground and used the key to free Zincronis. A bright light appeared and the Iron seal slowly started to chip away.  
>Seeing his mission complete, the demon transformed into a shadow and slithered away.<p>

The group in the basement could hear the roars of the dragon as the Iron seal faded away  
>"Hurry! Get the Royal family to safety before the seal completely disappears!" Gildarts yelled to Erza<br>The two knights led the Royal family up the stairs and out of the castle, to try and get them to the carriages to get to safety- but it was too late.

The ground rumbled right before it split completely part. The Jade Dragon had busted through the ground through the underground compartment of the city and landed right before the Royal family.  
>"Heh," the beast chuckled as he bared his sharp teeth "it's been awhile hasn't it?"<p>

"Keep the Royal family safe!"  
>Gildarts, Erza and countless other knights yelled as jumped in front of the king and Levy, "Failure is not an option!"<p>

The Dragon sighed lazily as it took the knights harmless attacks. Not even Erza and Gildarts's magic combined could phase the mighty dragon.  
>"I am in no mood for games" the Jade Dragon said as the carelessly swung his tail to knock the knights away " I've been locked up for twenty years and I am very tired" he continued as he yawned "Though I am pretty hungry..." he finished as he menacingly eyed the men who were attacking. "But men taste so disgusting, so a woman will do!"<p>

Zincronis looked around and saw a bright head blue hair and grinned "There! You shall do!" He said as he uses his wings to push the knights back and fly to the princess. The Dragon then snatched up the princess and took to the skies.

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><p>"No way," Gajeel murmured as his eyes widened disbelief, "a Dragon?!"<br>Gajeel and Lily looked up into the sky in shock. All of the Dragons had disappeared around seven years ago which was why they were traveling in the first place. They were looking for a Dragon to explain where all the others went, and if that led them to find Metalicana then...

"Lily let's go!" Gajeel yelled as he broke out in a run towards the Dragon  
>"Right!" Lily yelled back as he grabbed Gajeel's back and flew towards the giant beast.<p>

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><p>"Let me go!" Levy screamed as she wiggled in the Dragon's hand.<p>

"Hahaha!" the Zincronis laughed as he eyed the princess "You are so tiny! Are you sure you are not a child?"

The Princess pouted. She was somewhat sensitive about her size and she'd let no man, or Dragon, bully her  
>"I am not a child!" Levy shouted while she glared at the beast "Are you sure you are a Dragon? Because you look like an oversized lizard to me!" She sneered as she stuck her tongue out at Zincronis.<p>

The Dragon fumed "Over-sized LIZARD!?" he shouted angrily, clearly offended.

Levy tried to hide her smile with her hand but failed miserably "It seems I've hit a sore spot..."

The Dragon regained his composure and blew a small breath of magic at the princess. She squealed and shut her eyes, and when she opened them she screamed  
>"Wha-where are my clothes!? What kind of magic is this?!"<p>

The Dragon grinned as he lifted her over his mouth to swallow her whole "It's a magic to strip humans of their dignity."

Levy was now scared out of her wits. If she didn't do anything soon she was going to be eaten alive.  
>"Somebody, HELP!" she scream terrified<p>

"IRON DRAGON'S ROAR"  
>Suddenly a powerful tornado made of sharp metal shards hit the back of the Jade Dragon's head. The force of the attack made him drop Levy, and sent him flying towards the ground<p>

Levy screamed in fear as she plummeted towards the earth, but her fear did not last long. A dark haired man with white feathery wings had caught her almost as soon as she dropped.

Levy's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up at her savior, "The man as strong as the Dragons" she whispered

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><p>Zincronis looked everywhere to spot the Iron Dragon but he didn't see a thing. The Jade Dragon had been sealed away for a long time and had lost a major amount of magical energy; if he were to fight now he would surely lose and be sealed away again, and this time for eternity! He was not the type of Dragon to run from a fight, he actually hated it; but with the odds stacked against him he swallowed his pride and flew away. But he'd be back and he be ready to defeat the Iron Dragon.<p>

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><p>Gajeel watched in confusion as the Dragon flew away. Why didn't it stay and fight him? Did that Dragon know Metalicana? And does it know what happened to him?<br>Gajeel wanted to chase the Dragon down and get the answers to his questions but he couldn't due to the small woman in his arms.

"Lily lets land"  
>Nodding, the cat flew towards the ground and poofed his wings away as he set Gajeel down on the floor.<p>

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><p>"Oi! You okay?"<p>

Levy looked up and nodded at the man who saved her life. And she noticed that she could not stop staring at him. He was quite different from any human being she'd ever seen. He had long dark hair and his face; Eyebrows, ears, nose, and even his chin were cover in piercings! And his eyes were a piercing blood red color. He looked so intimidating, but was kind of handsom-... her last thought made her blush fiercely.

But while she was looking at him he suddenly turned away. Was he somewhat shy? And why was his face turning so red?  
>And then she remembered. She was stark naked.<p>

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><p>The small blue haired woman in Gajeel's arms turned as red as a tomato as she covered her chest with her arms.<p>

Thank god Lily had nudged him to look away as soon as he did. Gajeel had never seen a woman so... bare before and she was such a cute woman... if it weren't for Lily, he probably would've stared all day.

"Uhh... you can cover up with my cape" he mumbled as he set the young woman down and covered her with a tan cape he had been wearing at the time.  
>"Umm...Thank you for saving me Sir. If it wasn't for you I'd be dead right now." The blue haired women said as she bowed her head in thanks.<p>

Before Gajeel could reply, he heard the sound of bows aiming right for him and the blue haired woman. Out of sheer instinct, he grabbed the blue haired woman pushed her behind him to shield her from any danger.  
>Lily also hearing the danger turned into his battle form mode and shielded the blue haired woman as well.<br>Gajeel heard the gasp from the young woman at seeing Lily's battle mode, and grinned.

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><p><strong>Author's note: so how'd you love the action? What did you think about Levy and Gajeel's first meeting? I'd love to know! X)<strong>

**Please Follow and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Guys! I'm loving all the GaLe in the manga right now! 3 it's great:3  
>Also what do you think about the update time? Too long? Too short? (tell meh in the reviews)<strong>

**As always, Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong>

A woman with blood red hair broke through the crowd of knights and made her way towards Gajeel, Lily and Levy.  
>The red-head shot Gajeel a death glare as she walked towards him, and if he not grown up with Metalicana's glares, it probably would have sent a shiver down his spine.<p>

"You two!" she hissed as she re-equipped a sword into her hands "Release the Princess at once!" she demanded as she aimed the tip of her sword at Gajeel

Gajeel's instincts were screaming at him to attack but he stood still as he assessed the situation. He tried to make sense of the red heads words, but he couldn't believe that the shrimp behind him was a princess! She was so small! Wasn't there a height requirement to be royalty?

The Princess's voice had broken through Gajeel's thoughts when she spoke "Stand down Commander Scarlet! These men saved my life!"

Erza lowered her weapons but did not back away. It was obvious she did not trust the strange men near the Princess.

The next to break through the line of knights was the King escorted by Gildarts  
>"Levy you are safe!" he cried out in relief as the ran to his daughter<br>Levy slipped between the large cat and the dark haired man and jumped into her father's arms. The king eyed the two men that had shielded Levy, as he hugged her

"Levy who are these two men?" the King questioned as he let his daughter go  
>The princess smiled brightly as she turned to face her saviors "I have not yet learned their names, but they saved me from Zincronis!"<br>All the knights fell silent in shock and awe as they eyed the princess's rescuers. Gildarts and Erza tensed at the dragon's name and grew silent as well. 

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><p>Gajeel could feel the eyes of the knights on him, after what Levy had said. His face shifted into a scowl as he tried to ignore their blatant stares. He wondered what the big deal was… of course saving a princess was a big deal, but they acted as if he had done the impossible.<p>

After what seemed like forever, the king finally broke the silence as he spoke  
>"No human has ever fought with a Dragon and lived to tell the tale,"<br>the king continued "Thank you for saving my daughter," he bowed his head to Gajeel and Lily "I am in your debt"

After the King bowed all his knights followed suit and bowed as well.

Gajeel shifted in place unsure of what to do next. Everyone was bowing to him and Lily- and it was all so **_awkward_**. Gajeel never had to endure this much human contact before in his life. He was getting very uncomfortable with being the center of attention to this many people. It made him seriously think about grabbing Lily and flying off and out of this awkward situation.

Lily, sensing his partners' distress, changed into his chibi form and sat on Gajeel shoulders to quietly talk to him  
>The black cat nudged his partner "Oi! Say something you idiot!"<br>"Uhh, it was no problem" Gajeel mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The comment made the knights look up in confusion. That was no way to talk to a king.

But the king took no offence. He merely looked at the young man in front of him laughed  
>"I see! You are not a man of many words eh?" The king inquired as he patted Gajeel on the back lightheartedly<p>

Gajeel only nodded and looked away, which made Lily sigh. It looked like Lily would have to take the reins this time.

"I'm terribly sorry for my friend's lack of manners. It is an honor to meet you, your majesty. I am Pantherlily and my friend's name is Gajeel Redfox." Lily said as bowed to the king  
>"You are the giant cat from before?" the king asked as he stepped towards the feline "You can talk? And have such good manners too!" The king murmured as he pinched the cat's cheeks and pulled his ears "Are you real? Or are you a creature made from strange magic?"<p>

Levy stepped up and shooed her father's hands away from the Lily in embarrassment  
>"Stop that father!" she hissed just as she freed Lily from the kings grasp. The cat flew back to sit on Gajeel's shoulder and rubbed his cheeks<br>"I'm terribly sorry" Levy apologized as she stepped forward "My father can be a bit eccentric at times..." The princess looked down and took a breath to compose herself before asking "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to invite you to a ball the kingdom will be hosting later tonight. Please come! I'd love to thank you for your kindness, Mr. Redfox and Mr. Pantherlily"

Gajeel was about to decline, but Lily had other plans  
>"No need for such honorifics your highness, please just call me Lily, and we would be delighted to go." <p>

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><p>"Damn that cat" Gajeel growled as he adjusted his collar.<p>

Gajeel hated fancy parties. He hated the people. He hated the clothes. And he ESPECIALLY hated the clothes. They were always too itchy and never fit quite right. But the music and the food were pretty damn good.

"Just relax and enjoy the time Gajeel. It's not every day that we get invited to events such as these" Lily insisted as he adjusted his tie.  
>Somehow Lily had found tuxedos for the both of them. Which was a feat considering how tiny he was in his chibi form, and how ridiculously tall Gajeel was.<p>

Before Gajeel could continue his complaing, he felt someone lightly tap him on the shoulder.  
>He turned around to see the Princess.<p>

She wore a light green ballroom gown that looked as smooth as silk; with matching arms-length gloves and with silver crown that had small light green gems in it to match her gown. To put it plainly, she looked beautiful

"Hello" she beamed as she smiled up at Gajeel "are you enjoying the party?"  
>"Uhh...yeah" Gajeel mumbled as he looked back, to get Lily's help. But when he needed that cat's help the most he was nowhere to be found.<br>"Levy? Levy where are you?" Two men, one with orange spiky hair, and one with black hair in a strange fish like ponytail called out as the frantically looked around.

The Princess visibly tensed, which did not go unnoticed by Gajeel  
>"Hey? What's wrong shrimp?<p>

"My name is not shrimp!" She hissed as she pouted. She heard another call for her name and panicked "Please come with me!" The Princess whispered in a hurried tone as she grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the ballroom. Once they were out of the ballroom she led him down a hall to a large set of double doors. She shoved the doors open, pushed Gajeel in and shut the doors as quickly and quietly as she could.

Gajeel crossed his arms and grinned as he looked around the room. They were alone in a giant Library.  
>"Well shrimp if you wanted to be alone all you had to do was ask" he teased in a suggestive tone<p>

"What?" Levy gasped as she tried to hide her blush but failed

Gajeel couldn't help but grin. The woman was so damn cute when she blushed, he couldn't help but mess with her!  
>"Gihi"<p>

Suddenly, Levy's blush turned into a small smile and then an all-out laughter  
>"What a strange laugh! I've never heard anything like it" she said as she tried to control her giggles<p>

The dark hair man fumed  
>"Oi! My laugh ain't strange!"<br>Tch, the nerve of that tiny woman! He'd barely met her and she was already making fun of him? Well he'd show her.

"The only thing strange around here is how abnormally short you are shrimp" Gajeel said as he patted her head.  
>The gesture seemed to infuriate her more to his amusement. <p>

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><p>The princess was furious! The nerve of that gargantuan man! She'd barely met him and he was already making fun of her? Well she'd show him.<p>

Levy took out her magic pen, spelled out the word "WIND" and sent it his way. Gajeel, who was not expecting an attack, fell flat on his butt. The dark haired man had a death glare on his face as he looked over to see his attacker; she was leaning against a wall pretending like she was completely innocent.

"It seems you've lost your balance Mr. Redfox" she teased as she fought the urge to smile

Gajeel grinned. He liked this woman more and more every second.

Gajeel walked over to where Levy was standing and slid his arm around her waist as he grabbed her chin to make her look at him. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and her cheeks went completely red as he leaned in closer and closer.

Levy didn't know what to do! The man was holding her firmly in place, and her legs felt like they were jello. As he got closer her legs got weaker, and right before he reached her lips she felt her legs give out

He pulled back a short distance to look her in the eyes as he spoke  
>"It seems you lost your balance Princess" he mocked<br>"It seems I have" the princess whispered back as she smiled up at the dark haired man.

And just before they could finish what they started, the library doors opened to reveal the two men Levy had been trying to avoid all night. 

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><p><strong>Author's note: So what did you think? I'd love to know :D so please,<strong>

**FOLLOW AND REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: I've been loving the reviews! XD So as a thank you present, I've decided to post a new chapter way sooner than I initially planned! it's not really an action packed chapter, it's more of a to get the ball rolling chapter  
>ONCE AGAIN Thankyou for all the Reviews!<strong>

**As always, Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4:<strong>

Gajeel held the princess closer to him as he eyes the intruders. He thought they were potentially dangerous, but they looked like pansies to him. There were two men dressed in expensive clothing and carrying a multitude of presents and flowers with them. He recognized them to be the two men that the princess was trying to run away from earlier. But Gajeel didn't understand why she hid from them. The Princess was a part of the small percentage of people on Earthland that could use magic, heck she could probably take care of these clowns in a heartbeat if she wanted to.

"Princess Levy will you-?"  
>Jet and Droy stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they saw the princess wrapped in another man's arms.<p>

Embarrassed, Levy wiggled out of the dark haired man's grasp as she spoke  
>"Prince Jet? Prince Droy? What are you doing here?" she asked with an unusually high pitched voice<p>

Jet and Droy's eyes instantly shot to Gajeel as the glared at him angrily.  
>Who was that man to be all over their close friend and (at least to one of them) future bride? Was he another suitor? Or was he trying to hurt Levy? The thought made anger well up in their chests. Jet and Droy looked to each other and nodded. They had been friends since childhood they and because of this, could practically read each other's minds; and what they had decided on, just then, was this: If need be, they bet they could take him they worked together. They were apart of the few percentage of people who could use magic.<p>

"Who is **_that_**?" Jet asked in a harsh tone as he glared at Gajeel. It was evident that the boys did not like Gajeel.

Levy groaned. This was going to end badly, she just knew it.  
>"<strong><em>This<em>**," Levy said as she pointed to the dark haired man "is Gajeel Redfox. He is the man who saved me from the Dragon Zincronis."

The men visibly tensed at what she told them which made Gajeel grin.

The boys couldn't believe it. That man could stand up to a dragon?! The thought of just seeing a dragon ran shivers down their spine, they had remembered the stories of mass destruction and death Dragons could cause, and if that man could stand up to a dragon, _just what could he do?  
><em>  
>Jet and Droy shook off the thought for the moment, they didn't find Levy to be intimidated, they found her to ask her an important question…<p>

"Levy," Jet, the one with orange hair called I have something to ask you" he asked in a serious tone  
>"me too" Droy, the dark haired man with the strange ponytail added<br>They both got down on one knee and pulled out small boxes. Each box had the symbol of their country stitched on it. Jet's box was orange and white with a rabbit stitched in the center. The rabbit was there to symbolize speed, luck, love, and harmony.  
>While Droy's box was green and brown with a small budding plant stitched in the center to represent Growth, life and stability.<p>

They each took a breath and opened the boxes to reveal large dazzling diamonds that sparkled brightly in the dimly lit library  
>"Will you marry me?"<p>

Levy sighed. This was not the question she wanted to answer tonight.

* * *

><p>So that's why she had been running from these guys tonight. It all made sense to Gajeel as he watched the scene play out before him.<br>The thought of her being married off to one of these pansies made him pissed (though he wasn't quite sure why); and from the looks of it, the idea of her being married one of them didn't sit well with Levy either (which made him feel oddly better). Hell, the girl looked like she was about to throw up.

This made Gajeel even more pissed. If his shrimp didn't want to marry these guys, then she didn't have to. Wait his Shrimp?

Suddenly Levy heard a deep menacing voice coming from behind her  
>"Get Lost."<br>Jet and Droy glared at Gajeel and stayed in their positions; they would not be deterred so easily.

Suddenly a darkness shrouded Gajeel and he completely disappeared for a moment, but when he reappeared it was a truly terrifying sight. Shadows danced around Gajeel in all directions, as his body reformed in the darkness. Metal now covered where skin had once been, as his eyes glowed an ominous blue color.

"I said **_Get Lost._**"

* * *

><p>Jet and Droy ran out of the room so fast it made Levy's head spin. And when she looked back at Gajeel, her eyes went as wide as saucers from disbelief. He was back to normal! All the shadows were gone and the metal that had covered his skin was back to its normal human color. It made her wonder if what had happened seconds earlier had even happened at all.<p>

The questions shot out of Levy's mouth faster than she could ask them  
>"What was that? Why did you scare them? What's going on-"<p>

Gajeel interrupted Levy's rambling  
>"If you don't wanna marry those guys tell them no" he snorted<p>

Levy's eyes widened in surprise, how did he know?

Gajeel crossed his arms together and leaned back on the wall  
>"The look on your face said it all" he said answering her unasked question<p>

"Well, I don't have much of a choice..." she mumbled as she looked away from him "My father is very good friends the prince's fathers. They have been planning for me to marry Jet or Droy since I was born. But I grew up with them and now see them as brothers. And I don't wish to marry them"

Gajeel looked Levy straight in the eyes. The clash of blood red and gold  
>"Would you marry someone else if you could?"<p>

Blushing Levy opened her mouth to reply but she never got the chance to answer.

Lily flew into the library looking frantic as he spoke  
>"Your highness, Gajeel, the king wants to talk to you. Now."<p>

* * *

><p>"I've brought them" Lily announced as he floated to his seat<p>

"Ah! Thank you Lily," the king said he sat down "There's been an emergency. And I've brought you here Gajeel to ask for your help."

Gajeel simply nodded and waited for the king to continue

The king told Gajeel about the Dragon battles twenty years ago. He told him how the Dragon Zincronis ravaged the land and how the Iron Dragon came to their aid and saved the kingdom.

Gajeel snorted  
>"Tch, I didn't know my old man could be so nice"<p>

"What?" The king questioned  
>"Metalicana is my father." Gajeel replied in a bored tone<br>Everyone in the room (with the exception of Lily) gasped  
>"Your father!?" They shouted in unison<br>"Yep. He taught me my magic and everything." Gajeel said as he transformed his hand into an iron pole "But he disappeared seven years ago. I haven't seen him since" he finished looking down as he scowled. Gajeel never liked the way he felt after talking about his missing father. It always made him feel like he was punched in the gut afterwards.

The king sighed before he spoke,  
>"We've heard word that all the dragons, except for Zincronis have disappeared. And that's why I've called you here," he king said as he turned to face Gajeel "We've received word that the Jade Dragon has been terrorizing towns south of the royal city. He's destroyed numerous villages, and has eaten countless numbers of cattle-" the king choked a bit on the last word "and people."<p>

The whole room went silent for a few short moments until the king spoke again  
>"There is no one else in this world that has the capabilities to stand up to a Dragon, except for you Mr. Redfox. Twenty years ago I asked your father, the Iron Dragon, this and now I must ask you,"<p>

The King bowed his head to Gajeel once again,  
>"Gajeel son of Metalicana please save my people and Kingdom from the wrath of the Jade Dragon Zincronis! Please, help us and I will give you anything you ask in return." He begged<br>The king didn't want his subjects to suffer at the hands of the dragon again. Last time, the Dragon slaughtered thousands and if it happened again… the king didn't know if he could bear it.

Gajeel was silent for some time as he thought. Battling a Dragon sounded badass, but it'd be a serious match and he could be killed.  
>Just what did Metalicana see in this kingdom?<br>Gajeel didn't know the answer to that question, but he wanted to find out even if it killed him.

"I'll slay the Jade Dragon for ya, but I want something in return."

The king nodded "I will give you whatever you want or need to protect this land."

Gajeel couldn't keep a grin from spreading across his face as he spoke  
>"If I live, I wanna marry the princess"<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: What'd you think? I'd love to know!<strong>

**Follow and Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: There's so much apologizing to do that I don't know where to start! _**  
><strong>So hopefully a new chapter today and tomorrow will be a good place to start (and this chapter's extra long too :D<strong>

**As always, Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Last Chapter:<em>

_Just what did Metalicana see in this kingdom?_

_Gajeel didn't know the answer to that question but wanted to find out even if it killed him._

_"I'll slay the Jade Dragon for ya, but I want something in return."_

_The king nodded "I will give you whatever you want or need to protect this land."_

_Gajeel grinned as he spoke_

_"If I live, I wanna marry the princess"_

* * *

><p>These words did not sit well with the Commanders of the army.<p>

Very subtlety Erza's hand slipped to her sword while Gildarts twitched only slightly, but Gajeel could have sworn that the air around him had gotten… heavier?

It seemed as if Lily had noticed the change in the atmosphere; he flew to sit on Gajeel's shoulder just in case the king and his subjects didn't take to kindly to his friend's proposal. Lily knew that Gajeel wasn't the brightest, but he never would have thought that the idiot would be stupid enough to make a request as ridiculous as this! Did he even know what it meant to marry a Princess?

The King eyed Gajeel for a while and Gajeel stayed straight in his seat, he was afraid of no man, King or not. After what felt like a century, the king chuckled and waived down his commanders. Instantly Erza's hand was back at her side, and Gajeel could have sworn that a weight had been lifted off his body.

Leaning into the table the King spoke "You know my daughter has suitors, correct?" he asked

Gajeel snorted "Those pansies?" words of which had landed Gajeel a whack in the back of the head from Lily, menacing glares from the Commanders, and a stifled giggle from the Princess.

"Those 'pansies' are the sons of kings that I am well acquainted with, and I've been trying to get my daughter to fancy one of them for quite some time now" The king said as he leaned back in his seat

His words made Gajeel and Levy shift in their seats.

Levy didn't know how to tell her father that she didn't want to marry Jet or Droy but if she didn't… she didn't really want to think of the outcome… it'd just be too strange.

Gajeel on the other hand, didn't know what to think. Would the King deny his request or grant it? He hadn't put too much thought into it and had kinda just blurted it out… but now that he thought about it what if the king said yes? What would happen? Or what if the king said no?  
>Or worse… what if Levy didn't like him? They had only met yesterday and Gajeel knew he wasn't exactly Prince Charming; he had piercings, blood-red eyes and was all around intimidating. 'What if she refused?' the thought didn't sit well with him…<p>

Continuing, the king crossed his arms and sighed, "But it seems she doesn't care for them too much... Therefore my daughter will ultimately decide who she marries- it is not something I wish to force upon her."

Levy beamed in delight, she had always thought she would be pushed into to marrying one of the princes, but now she had the chance to marry whoever she wanted  
>"Thank you father" she said softly<p>

"I am curious though dear, what is your answer to Mr. Redfox's request?" the king inquired

All eyes were on Levy as she struggled to answer the question: What did she think of Gajeel? She wasn't exactly sure; he was very intimidating at first glance, but she could tell from the few moments she had spent with him that he was a good man -(a thought which made her smile), and he wasn't exactly a bad looking guy, quite the opposite in her opinion!  
>But there were so many other things in the way of answering her father's simple question: Like if she said no, would he refuse to save her kingdom and its people? And why did Gajeel even ask for her hand in the first place? Levy didn't seem like his type and she knew she wasn't exactly appealing- she was small, uninteresting, and rather flat chested compared to other women... Gajeel's proposal could very well be a grab for power; a thought did not sit well with her.<p>

Levy let out a long breath and looked to Gajeel who looked as confident as ever, with his arms crossed and a small grin tugging on his lips- as if he was waiting for her 'yes'

This made her pout and blush at the same time _'What an infuriating man!' she thought_

"I wish to... reflect upon the proposal!" she huffed as she turned to hide her irritation and her reddening face

The king sensing his daughter's embarrassment intervened

"Well I think now is a good time to stop and get back to the festivities" the king said as he adjusted his crown "Everyone is free to go now!"

* * *

><p>Gajeel, Lily and Levy had gone back to the ballroom to get back to the festivities while the King had stayed behind to gather his thoughts in meeting room. War strategies and combat ideas had flooded his mind when he heard a knock on the door.<p>

A few seconds later the two main Commanders of the kingdoms' army, Erza and Gildarts had walked in to talk to the king.

"Your majesty" They bowed "We have some things we would like to discuss with you"  
>"What is it?"<p>

Erza nodded to Gildarts and stepped forward "We don't trust the newcomer your highness. He could be a threat to the crown, or using the princess for his own gain"

The king smiled "I've thought of that too, and it's partly why I gave my daughter her choice on the matter, I trust her judgment"

Gildarts spoke up next "Please allow Commander Scarlet and I to investigate his intentions your highness. We want to keep the princess and the kingdom safe from harm"

"I do not see the harm in letting you conduct an investigation. However, you must talk to me before you do anything rash. Do you understand?" the king said sternly

"Yes sir." They said as the bowed

* * *

><p>Zincronis stretched his wings as he rubbed his stomach. It had been a good day for him he had been freed, pillaged a few towns, and had even gotten good meal in- a thought which made him chuckle.<p>

As Zincronis settled down into his new residence- a cave not far away from the last village he 'greeted'- he thought about his plans for destroying that good for nothing castle he had been under for so long. That Damn king... he'd make that King pay for his impudence! Twenty years in an iron shell had made him weak, but when he returned to his normal strength, he'd make the Iron Dragon pay and make the King watch as his entire Kingdom go up in flames! And he'd eat the King's daughter for kicks while he was at it. All he'd need was a few days…

* * *

><p>Gajeel had wanted to talk to the princess more yesterday but the knight's commanders had caught up to him and Lily right after the meeting. They had assigned Gajeel a room and told him to get some rest for in the morning they would train to see his magical abilities; and now it was already morning. He groaned as he was shaken by Lily to awake up<p>

"Wake up! We have to be at the training arena soon." Lily complained attempted to wake up the sleeping man. These attempts had earned Lily an Iron pole to the face.

The cat rammed into the wall, feeling it crack behind him before he heard it. This was the last straw for Lily, he jumped on to Gajeel's face and scratched away, making sure to make it especially painful.

"_**God Dammit LILYYYYY!"**_ The Dark haired man roared swatting everywhere in the air he could reach as he fell out of his bed, but the cat was already half way out the door

"Hurry up and eat! I'll meet you at the Arena!" Lily yelled back as he flew down the hall

Gajeel grumbled as he ate his breakfast, he had wanted to get his cat back ten-fold but the food Lily had left won Gajeel over. Steak, eggs, bacon, and a small pipe of iron in a cup of orange juice was one of Gajeel's favorite dishes and that, added with the fondness for his partner, had Gajeel forgiving his cat.  
>He'd Never admit it but he was a big softie when it came to his cat.<p>

After breakfast, Gajeel jumped in the shower to get ready for his first day of training.

The King had sent a group of knights to watch the Dragon and track it's every move after their meeting last night. So far Zincronis seemed to be training in a mountain range a hundred miles south of the castle, so the King decided that if the Dragon would train so would Gajeel.

* * *

><p>"You're late," Erza shouted at Gajeel while he walked up "and what happed to your face" she mumbled<p>

Gajeel shot Lily and Erza a glare  
>"Tch, Whatever woman just tell me where to start" he grumbled<p>

"Alright, first lesson" Erza said as her body glowed a bright light "Always be ready for any and everything!" she yelled as she attacked Gajeel head on in black armor that had what looked to be the wings on a dragon on it

Gajeel turned his arm into an Iron pole and blocked the attack which caused Erza to jump away

"What the hell?!" Gajeel yelled as he readied himself for another attack

Erza ran straight at Gajeel and swung her sword a his side, he block once more and forcefully pushed her back this time, but instead of landing she extended her wings and flew down at Gajeel at an alarming speed while changing her sword in to two battle axes. Gajeel threw up his arms transforming them into swords, he'd block the axes and then take his shot, but before they could finish their attacks Lily had swooped in, in his battle form, and pulled Gajeel back. Erza followed through with her attack which hit the ground, cracking it fifteen feet in every direction

"I don't mean to intrude, but what is the lesson you are trying to teach?" Lily asked calmly as he held back a fuming Gajeel

She stood up, re-equipped into her normal Hearts Kreuz armor, and pointed her sword at Gajeel as she spoke  
>"If he is not ready when the time comes to face the dragon, he will be will be killed in a matter of seconds." She put her sword to her shoulder and continued "Zincronis is a devious dragon, and will stop at nothing to defeat you. If that happens, this kingdom and its inhabitants will all be in grave danger and as Commander I cannot and will not allow that to happen. Therefore, it is my duty to make sure you are prepared for your battle."<p>

"Oi! It's not like I'll be out there alone," Gajeel barked "I've got Lily with me!" he said as he grinned at his cat

Lily crossed his arms and nodded "I'll make sure he doesn't get himself killed"

Gajeel grabbed outta the air and gave him a bone crushing hug "That's my Lily!"  
>Lily just sighed as Gajeel hugged him. He was used to his partners' weird emotional out breaks by now.<p>

Erza smiled, warmed by the bond the two partner shared "Very well then, show me what you two got." she said as she re-equipped a sword into her hands

Lily escaped from Gajeel's grasp and transformed into his battle mode as he pulled out his sword.  
>Gajeel grinned at the red haired woman as he transformed his arm into a sword "Don't think I'll go easy on ya woman, you to Lily"<p>

"Wouldn't dream of it" She answered as the trio's swords clashed together

* * *

><p>The sparring had been tougher than Gajeel had expected, Erza was a power house and he was genuinely surprised that she could not take care of the Dragon herself. The woman had kept him on his toes the entire time and if it had been a one on one fight, Gajeel would have had his hands full<p>

The trio was sprawled out on the training arena laying down and trying to catch their breaths and stretch their muscles after the hours of relentless battle

"Good work Redfox," Erza said as she shot him a grin "And your swordsman ship is very impressive Lily" she complimented in between breaths as struggled to sit up

Gajeel grinned "Not so bad yourself Scarlet" he huffed

"It pales in comparison to your swordsman ship Miss Scarlet" Lily praised as he to tried to sit up

"I hope you too aren't too worn out," Erza said as she exhaled "the hardest part has yet to come"

Lily and Gajeel looked at Erza questioningly

"Commander Gildarts will be your opponent for tomorrow's training session and he is far more powerful than me"

"Aww hell" Gajeel groaned as he let himself fall back to the floor. He and Lily were going to get their asses handed to them tomorrow if what the red head was saying was true.

"The sessions over," Commander Scarlet announced as she picked herself up from the floor and dusted herself off "Get some rest you two, you are dismissed"

* * *

><p>Gajeel groaned as tossed and turned in his bed. He was pretty worn out from his day to non-stop training and thought he would crash as soon as he hit the bed; but it was not meant to be. He grumbled obscenities to himself while he got dressed to take a walk outside in the courtyard, hoping it would be what he needed to go to sleep.<p>

Making sure to not disturb Lily he quietly walked to the window, opened it and jumped. When he landed on the ground he smelt the air and breathed a sigh of relief when a sweet scent caught his attention. He followed it to find the Princess leaning against a tree. She was in what looked to be her night gown while the word "LIGHT" hovered above the book in her hands.  
>Gajeel watched her for a bit mesmerized by the peaceful scene in front of him. While he watched the Princess he noticed she would make different faces as she read; she would scrunch up and smile brightly when she read the happy moments of her book and when it turned sad or serious she would bring the book a bit closer to her face and flip the pages a bit faster to end the suspense. Gajeel probably would have watched her read all night if he hadn't of noticed her start to shiver.<p>

"Hey" Gajeel said as he stepped out of the shadows to greet her.

Levy jolted up and dropped her book as she looked around for whoever disturbed her. When she saw it was only Gajeel she relaxed.  
>Gajeel laughed which earned him a scowl from Levy<p>

"What are you doing here Mr. Redfox?" Levy asked as she sat back down "And why is your face all scratched up?" she murmured as she looked at him questioningly

Gajeel gritted his teeth _"Fuckin' Cat…" he thought_

"Just call me Gajeel, shorty. I couldn't sleep so I took a walk"

"How interesting," Levy said as she pushed her book aside "I had the same problem"

Walking a bit closer Gajeel took off his cape and threw it over the Princess "Here, you look cold"

She looked a bit surprised at first, but then pulled the cape around her closer and smiled "Thank you… Gajeel"

Gajeel didn't know what to say back to her. He didn't have much experience interacting with humans- only Lily if that counted (which it probably didn't). The silence stretched on for a bit longer and was becoming awkward until Levy spoke up  
>"Um Mr- uh…," she adjusted her dress and sat up a little straighter "…Gajeel, would you like to come sit with me for a bit?"<p>

He wanted to tell her no, to avoid any more awkward silences and because he wasnt good with small talk, but the word "Sure" popped out of his before he could think twice.  
>Knowing it was too late to say 'no' now he walked to the tree and sat down next to Levy<p>

Gajeel wanted to talk with her but didn't know where to start. Fortunately she beat him to the punch  
>"You know I had a dream about you the night before we met," she said as she leaned back into the tree "but in my dream you fought two dragons instead of one"<br>She looked at Gajeel and saw his slightly confused faced and blushed hard "Uh but I didn't mean that in a weird way! I mean-"  
>Gajeel shot her a sly grin "You been dreaming about me, shrimp?" he teased<p>

Her face turned cherry red at his words "N-no! I just did that one time and-"

Gajeel couldn't help it he broke out into laughter

"Hmpf! Stupid Gajeel" Levy pouted as she turned away from him

Gajeel stopped his laughter but could not hold back his grin "I'm just messin with ya princess"

The princess didn't answer Gajeel for a while and he was starting to think she was seriously mad at him until she looked up at him  
>"Hey Gajeel?" she asked<p>

Gajeel looked down at her questioningly "What's up shorty?"

"Why did you ask to marry me?"

Gajeel swore under his breath, he didn't know how to answer the princess's question and he knew that she probably wouldn't except an "I don't know"

He could try and tell her the truth that he had just blurted it out because he found her interesting and attractive, but that wouldn't be the whole truth; he had asked to marry her because he didn't like the idea of her being another man's girl, the idea made his blood boil...

The long stretch of silence disheartened Levy and she could feel her eyes start burn from the tears she tried to keep away. It was obvious to Levy that Gajeel didn't like her and she didn't know why she even fathomed the idea in the first place. It was silly to think a man such as Gajeel would find her appealing in anyway.

"I'm sorry I asked just forget about it" she mumbled as she fixed her dress to stand

"Oi," Gajeel hollered as he pulled Levy back and into his "Would you wait a damn second woman! I'm trying give ya a good answer, so don't try and run off you got it?" Gajeel grumbled as he wrapped his arms around Levy to make sure she stayed for his answer.

"Yes sir" Levy said sarcastically as she saluted.  
>"You're a riot" Gajeel deadpanned as he rested his chin on Levy's head. Levy giggled as she waited for his answer<p>

"Well," Gajeel started "I couldn't do stuff like this with you if you were married" he said as he pulled her closer "and I'd wanna beat the living hell out of your guy for that"  
>Levy couldn't help but laugh at his reasoning's for his proposal. She could tell that he was trying hard to explain himself to her and it was endearing to hear.<p>

"Don't laugh dammit! I'm trying to answer your question!" he half shouted obviously irritated

Levy turned to face Gajeel but he turned his head unwilling to look her in the eyes. At first Levy thought Gajeel was mad at her until she noticed his reddening face with her solid script 'LIGHT'.

She smiled at his strange signing of affections and decided that she would take a chance  
>"Is this your way of telling me you like me Gajeel?" she asked<p>

Gajeel looked down at to answer her question when he noticed how cute Levy looked in the lighting. Her sky blue hair was out of its usual bandana, which made her large golden brown eyes look even bigger in the blue and white offset, her cheeks were tinted a light red- which he wondered was from the cold or from something else… He reached out and cupped her face in his hand and felt how warm and soft she was- she definitely wasn't red from the cold- and couldn't help but wonder if her lips were as soft and warm as her skin.

"Gajeel?" Levy whispered as he caressed her cheek. She felt a strange feeling in the bottom of her stomach that she had never felt before, it made her feel warm all throughout her body and she couldn't help but smile

They leaned in, but before their lips could meet Gajeel stopped and pulled back.

"What is it?" Levy asked

"Shh" Gajeel whispered as listened "Shit, that guy Gildarts is coming"  
>Levy thought of the possible outcomes and decided on the best course of action "Go"<p>

Gajeel was skeptical but Levy's mind was set "Now, and hurry before he sees you!"

Gajeel growled irritated by the situation but listened to Levy  
>"Fine. Later shorty" he said as he ruffled her hair. He then he turned into the shadows and disappeared<p>

A few moments later Gildarts appeared  
>"Princess Levy? You know it's dangerous to be outside this time of night" he lectured as he walked to her side<p>

She smiled swearing she had heard Gildarts say that a thousand times "I know I know… I am very sorry Commander Clive. Can you escort me back inside?"

"Yes your highness," he said sticking out his arm to her "But may I ask you a question?"

"Of course" Levy answered as she took his arm and walk back to the palace

"Whose cloak is that?"

Levy's face turned bright red as her eyes widened in shock  
>"I found it while I was walking" she lied<p>

Gildarts chuckled as they walked  
>"You are a terrible liar your highness"<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: What did you think guys? I'd love the feedback:3 And i was wondering what you think about Gajeel and Levy's relationship, is it moving too fast or slow? And did you like the chapter or did you feel it was missing something? Please answer these questions in the reviews if you could _<strong>  
><strong>And if you may,<strong>

**Follow and Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Hey guys i decided to share a few fun facts about this story with you!**  
><strong>-This story was originally planned as a one shot- but ended up as a multi-fic for some reason...<strong>  
><strong>-The King was originally planned to be killed off in the beginning of the story D:) (which is why he doesn't have a name _ <strong>  
><strong>Welp, that's it for this AN, <strong>

**So as always, Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Gajeel sparred with Lily while he waited for Commander Gildarts to arrive. It wasn't that Gildarts was late, it was that Gajeel had gotten some of the best rest he had had in a while- thanks to the walk he went on the night before- and with all the extra energy, he decided to head to the arena an hour earlier then the Commanders had requested, to prepare for his day of intense training.<p>

"Hey Lily," Gajeel said as threw a couple punches the cats' way  
>Lily blocked Gajeel's attacks easily and swung his foot at Gajeel's side as he answered "Yeah?"<p>

Gajeel didn't bother blocking or dodging, he covered his side with Iron scales and continued their fight  
>"Do you think that Gildarts guy is as strong as the red head said?" he asked<p>

"Perhaps," Lily said thoughtfully "All I know for certain is that we shouldn't underestimate him."

"Gihi" Gajeel grinned; he was ready for the challenge. "I can't wait then"

"Heh, so it's good that I'm here now, huh?"

Lily and Gajeel looked the way the voice was coming from and saw a tall, muscular man with shoulder-length orange hair that was slicked back and a stubbly beard, in a long brown cape tattered at its edges.

"Yo!" Gildarts waved happily at the duo, his care-free attitude rubbing Gajeel the wrong way for some reason, "how's it going?"

"Commander Clive" Lily said as he bowed, formally showing the man respect

"You don't have to be so formal," the man smiled as he patted Lily's back "just call me Gildarts!"

"Tch," Gajeel growled "If you're done trying to be all buddy-buddy, I'd like to start training now"

"Yikes! _Someone didn't get enough sleep last night,_ is he always so moody Lily?" Gildarts whispered to Lily a little too loudly

Lily couldn't help but grin "unfortunately… yes"

"The fuck Lily?" Gajeel fumed "You're supposed to be on my side ya damn traitor!" he yelled, angrily waving his fist in the air

Gildarts and Lily broke out in to laughter, but Gajeel wasn't paying too much attention, he was too focused on what Gildarts had said earlier. The man had put a certain emphasis in his words, prompting Gajeel to think that Gildarts had known that he was walking around late last night... Now that he thought of it, it was kind of suspicious that Commander Clive had just so happened to stumble onto him and Levy. Were the Commanders watching him? Then again, Gajeel was a stranger to the palace- so it was probably a safe bet to assume that he was being watched. If there was one thing Gajeel knew for certain it was that the commanders didn't fully trust him yet.

"Oi!" Gildarts shouted as he walked to stand right in front of Gajeel "You ready kid?"

"Bring it old man" Gajeel grinned as he bumped heads with Gildarts, it would be an interesting battle indeed

* * *

><p>Gajeel struggled to sit back up as he watched Gildarts in the distance. The man was kneeling on the floor, panting and had small scratches and bruises everywhere, but he was not nearly as beat up as Gajeel and Lily. The duo could hardly stand after the beating they took- the red head had been right, this guy was in a different league compared to her and Gajeel again found himself wondering why the Commanders of the kingdom couldn't beat the Jade Dragon themselves.<p>

Gildarts shot them a grin as he slowly stood up to his full height "Is that all you guys got?"

Gajeel growled in annoyance and frustration, he and Lily hadn't even been able to knock the man down yet and it was becoming pretty irritating  
>"Like hell it is!" the dark haired man yelled defiantly as he stood up "Lily! Let's show him what we got!"<p>

"Got it!" Lily yelled as he picked up Gajeel and flew him up into the air

"Iron Dragon's Lance!" Gajeel's arm transformed into a large spearhead which allowed him to fire multiple spear tipped lances towards Gildarts in rapid succession.

Gildarts didn't even flinch as he used his Crash magic to turn Gajeel's demon logs into pieces  
>"Nice try guys-" Gildarts was cut off as he turned around to block Lily's sword with his bare hand<p>

"Heh" Gildarts smirked as he cracked Lily's sword "You almost got me" he smirked as he broke the swords in to pieces

Lily grinned "It's not over yet" he said as he looked up and jumped back a safe distance

Gildarts looked up into the sky and saw Gajeel heading straight for him

"Iron dragons," Gajeel said as he gathered up the remaining ounces of his magic "ROAAAARRRR"

A powerful tornado made of sharp metal shards rocketed towards Gildarts at a blinding speed, rendering him incapable of blocking  
>"Impressive" Gildarts whispered as the attack swallowed him whole. Gajeel landed on the ground and took a knee, refusing to fall over until he knew his rival had been defeated. The smoked cleared and Gajeel saw Gildarts lying unmoving on the floor. Gajeel and Lily both grinned as the instantly fell on floor; they were completely drained but they had done it, they had defeated the strongest man and in the Kingdom.<p>

Their smiles didn't last long. Gajeel and Lily instantly tensed as they heard someone stand up. They strained to sit up and looked over to Gildarts who was standing up and stretching off Gajeel and Lily's attack

"_He's a freakin beast!" _Gajeel thought as he and Lily struggled to get back up and fight.

"Relax guys! Our fight's over" Gildarts said as he sat back down and cracked his back "You know you two are the first to knock me down in a long time…"

The duo sighed in relief, glad that Gildarts was an ally instead of an enemy.

"That was amazing!"

Curious as to whom was complimenting them, Gajeel and Lily turned to see a head of blue hair quickly coming their way.  
>"What's she doing here?" the duo asked Commander Clive, surprised<p>

Amused by their actions Gildarts chuckled  
>"Did I forget to mention that the Princess was watching our training session today?" he asked as he scratched the back of his head<p>

"Figures you'd forget to tell us something important, old man" Gajeel grumbled as he tried to sit up

"My apologies Gajeel," Gildarts said slyly "I didn't think it'd bother you either way… unless you were hoping to impress her?" Gildarts teased

"Shut yer damn trap old man before I go over there and beat ya into the ground again!" Gajeel roared as he sent an iron pole straight into Commander Clive's face.

Gildarts didn't even flinch as the Iron pole rammed into his face. He was too busy laughing. Amused, Lily joined in with the Commander, and tried to hide his quiet laughs by coughing, much to Gajeel displeasure.

Levy, who had been out of earshot from the trio's conversation frowned in confusion,  
>"What's so funny?" she asked curiously<p>

Her words caused Gajeel to snort and look away, while making Gildarts and Lily laugh even harder.

"Shut the hell up, you damn hyenas!" Gajeel growled as he crossed his arms angrily, irritated with the entire situation

Trying to hide the small smile forming at her lips, Levy walked to Gajeel's side and sat down next to him. She looked up at him questioningly and pointed to the laughing pair and whisper to Gajeel, "What's wrong with them?"

"Everything" Gajeel deadpanned

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><p>After Gildarts had dismissed the group from their training session Levy had invited Gajeel and Lily for a walk on out on the courtyard so they could talk about 'certain matters' as she had put it. Lily, who was unaware of Gajeel and Levy's conversation last night, assumed it was about the proposal and politely declined with a knowing smile, making Levy blush and Gajeel growl in annoyance.<p>

"So what were you doing watching us today shrimp?" Gajeel asked  
>Levy looked at the man questioningly "What do you mean?"<p>

Gajeel looked down at the princess and scowled as he crossed his arms "You don't exactly look like the hand to hand combat type shorty," he scoffed "so what were you doing?"

Levy thought back to the things she had learned about Gajeel as she watched him in combat. He wasn't as rash and reckless in combat as he initially seemed to be. While fighting Gajeel would take the time to carefully watch his opponents to learn their habits and predict their movements in battle - a thing she figured out while watching him fight against Erza and Gildarts. He was a power house when it came to brute strength, speed and defense, and could put two and two together fairly quickly to come up with a strategy to defeat his opponent. Levy would never say it out loud, but the fact that he had all those traits impressed her greatly.

Levy shook her head to stop her thoughts, wanting to pay attention to Gajeel, when she remembered the first time they met.

"What are you talking about Gajeel," she said as she jumped from up from the ground "I'm a power house! I knocked you down the first day we met!" she teased

Gajeel could feel his ears heating up in embarrassment "I wasn't expecting you to use magic!" he argued, a light tint of red on his face

Levy broke out into laughter while Gajeel tried keeping his growing irritation in check. He didn't sign up to be a damn jester for the kingdom; he was here training to slay a dragon!

"I am curious though," she said after she stopped laughing "why did you never use your Shadow form when you were fighting Erza and Gildarts?"

Gajeel looked oddly surprised at her words. He didn't think she would notice that he hadn't used that form because she had only seen it once. Gajeel didn't want to use his Iron Shadow Dragon form because he wanted to keep something up his sleeve just in case; he had this ominous feeling that he'd have to battle more than the dragon… but that wasn't a good enough reason for Levy to stall.

He looked down and scowled at the princess "Don't try and avoid the question shorty" he said intimidatingly

Levy sat back down and looked away from Gajeel nervously as she tried to think of a way to answer him. She knew he'd never agree with what she wanted to do but she hoped he'd understand at least  
>"I've been watching you to learn your fighting habits…" she said nervously while she fiddled with her hands and avoided looking up at him at all costs<p>

"Why" he demanded a little more forcefully this time

Levy could feel her heart beating a hundred miles a minute. The man was ridiculously intimidating and if she didn't know him she would have been scared out of her wits, but she did know him which was the only reason she felt nervousness instead of fear. Looking into his eyes Levy immediately knew she couldn't tell him the complete truth yet, so she settled for the next best thing  
>"Because I wanted to train with you tomorrow!" she blurted out "I thought it would be fun and that I could learn a little bit more about you this way"<p>

Gajeel was still somewhat suspicious, but agreed to her training with him because he liked the idea of her wanting to train alongside him; or rather the idea that she wanted to be with him in general. It made Gajeel confident that she would actually say 'yes' to him after he defeated the dragon.

He grinned at the small woman as he crossed his arms "Fine but I won't go easy on you."

Levy couldn't hold back her excitement "Wouldn't dream of it" she smiled as she hugged him tightly "Thank you Gajeel" she beamed

Unsure of how to handle the bluenette's affection, Gajeel stood awkwardly for a moment, before smirking and ruffling Levy's hair  
>"No problem shrimp" <p>

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><p><strong>Author's note: The final battle's fast approaching! There might only be a few chapters left!<strong>  
><strong>**Also the next chapter is going to be centered around Gajeel and Lily only so I hope you enjoy it!**<strong>

**Please, Follow and REVIEW! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: This chapter's not too terribly important to the plot of my fic... but I could help but write it! It answers how Gajeel and Lily met and is pretty cute at the end of the chapter:3  
>It's also kinda short but I really hope you like it!<strong>

**As always, Enjoy!**

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><p>Due to the princess joining in, the commanders scheduled the train session later on in the day instead of the crack of dawn regimen Gajeel had become accustom to. Because of this Gajeel had planned to sleep in, but Lily wasn't so sure. Pantherlily had been an early bird as far back as he could remember and was not one to waste the day by sleeping in.<p>

Lily was the first to wake up as usual; he awoke in the arms of his partner and sighed. You'd never guess it from Gajeel's looks but the man had a snuggling problem... Lily would wake up as Gajeel's teddy bear most mornings and after years of it; he didn't mind it much anymore.

While Lily struggled to find an escape from the man's grasp without walking him up, he thought back to the first time he had met Gajeel long ago:

_Lily had just woken up in the middle of a forest confused. He sat up and tried to remember what happened when it all came rushing back to him. He had been a general in Edolas's royal army when the Kings son, Jellal, had staged a coup d'état. Lily had chosen to side with his Prince and they had won the battle for the crown. In a last ditch effort to reclaim his crown the previous king of Edolas, King Faust, planned to use a weapon called 'Anima' to kill the prince. Not much was known about the Anima cannon except that it was a powerful magic weapon passed down to every king of Edolas; its powers- which could only be used every hundred years- were used to eradicate the vilest criminals, or traitors to the crown, by zapping them in to oblivion._

_Lily had seen Faust aim the cannon at Jellal and immediately jumped to save his Prince._  
><em>It turned out the information about the Anima cannon was wrong. It wasn't a deadly weapon, but an object used to transport people to another dimension.<em>

_When Lily got up to survey the strange land he realized that his previous physique was not well suited for the dimension he was in. He could only revert into his normal hulking size for a short period of time, to his dismay._

_After a few days of walking and flying around, he finally found a small settlement on the outskirts of the forest he had wound up in. Hoping to find answers, he headed into the village. He learned that the strange world was called Earthland and unlike his world, all its people were born with magic inside them- though only few could ever master and use it._

_He also learned that the small town he was in was being terrorized by a demon that lived in the mountains near the town._

_Grateful to the towns' people for sharing the knowledge of their world with him, Lily swore he would head to the Mountain of Shadows to defeat the demon for the village. The town's people rejoiced thanked and rejoiced as Lily made his way up the mountain._

_The Mountain of Shadows was a strange place. Forestry covered the land but the plant life was dulled by the lack of sunlight, causing the whole place to seem gray, as if it was in mourning. Even its skies were gray and cloudy. While walking Lily heard a strange "gihi" sound, he turned to see a small figure with sharp claws and glowing blue eyes with pitch black shadows seemingly radiating off of and swirling around its metal skin. It grinned at Lily showing its sharp little fangs and attacked._

_Lily dodged the metal pole the little creature shot out at him as he pulled his sword out to fight against the strange little beast. He assumed that this was the demon the village had been talking about, and went all out to slay it._  
><em>The cat quickly overpowered the creature with ease and swung his sword down at its neck when its guard was down but before Lily's attack could land the demon blocked his sword with its arm. And even though the demons skin was covered in metal, Lily's sword had managed to cut deep into its skin. The creature cried out in pain and Lily quickly jumped away in confusion. He watched as the shadows and metal skin faded away to reveal a young boy no older than thirteen.<em>

_He had long black hair, many facial piercings, and angry red eyes._

_Lily put away his sword and poofed into his smaller size to talk to the boy_  
><em>"What's your name?"<em>

_"What's it to you" the boy snapped as he kneeled down to cradle his injured arm_

_Lily tried to walk closer but the boy had turned his arm into an iron sword and warned the cat_  
><em>"Stay away" he growled<em>

_"Are you the one who's been terrorizing the villagers?" Lily asked as he inched his way towards the boy_

_The boy proudly grinned as he spoke "yup"_

_Lily felt enraged by the boy's proud answer but kept his cool_  
><em>"Why did you attack innocent people?"<em>

_He boy laughed coldly as he answered_  
><em>"Because they were too weak to stop me" and then passed out from the blood loss<em>

_Lily wanted to leave the cold hearted boy on the floor to his fate, but could not bring himself to do it. The poor boy probably had many people turn their back on him, and Lily vowed to himself that he would not add to that list. The cat sighed as decided to take care of the boy after that._  
><em>And the rest was well, History.<em>

Lily snapped out of his thoughts of the past and looked back to his partner. Gajeel had grown up to become a good man and Lily couldn't help but be proud. His partner had come such a long way from the boy he had found in the mountains.

Feeling his cat trying to wriggle out of his grasp, Gajeel tightened his hold around his teddy bear- errm, Cat as he spoke  
>"Lily it's too damn early go back to sleep" the man groaned<p>

Lily smirked as the let the man drag him back to sleep; maybe it was a bit too early to wake up.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Ahh! I hoped you liked it and I'll try to post again soon but that's all for now ^_^<strong>

**Please Follow and Review!**


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